How to Get a Sofa Up Narrow Stairs and Round Tight Corners

You've found the sofa you want and it will fit the room. Then you look at the stairs: narrow, with a tight turn at the top and a low ceiling over the landing.

Most problems can be spotted with a tape measure before you order. This guide covers measuring the route, which sofas arrive in pieces, stairs and landings, taking off doors and legs, and when a smaller sofa or a sofa bed is the better answer.

Measure the route first

Walk the route from the kerb to the spot where the sofa will sit, and note every point where it has to pass through, turn or climb. Measure:

1. Front door: clear width with the door fully open, and clear height to the underside of the frame.
2. Hallway: the narrowest point, where radiators or the bottom of the banister stick out.
3. Stairs: the width between the wall and the banister or handrail at the narrowest tread, and the headroom under any low ceiling or bulkhead over the flight.
4. Landing: the floor space at each turn, and whether the stairs turn through a quarter (L-shaped) or a half (U-shaped).
5. Room doorway: the internal door into the room itself, which is often the tightest gap of all.

Then compare those numbers with the sofa. The sizes on a product page are for the finished sofa. What usually decides whether a piece gets through is its depth and height, because sofas are carried on their side or tipped on end, not flat. If either is smaller than your clear door width, that's a good start.

For narrow doorways there's one more check: the diagonal depth, measured side-on from the top of the back to the front edge of the seat. If it's less than the door height, the piece can often be tipped and angled through. Product pages don't usually list it, so if your route is tight, ask us before you order.

Height matters as much as width: the Quintrell above is listed at 73 cm high, the Zanetta at the top of this page at 89 cm. For a full measuring routine, see our guides to measuring a room for a corner sofa and whether a corner sofa will fit through your door.

Which sofas come in sections

A sofa that comes in pieces is far easier to get up a narrow staircase, because each piece is shorter than the finished sofa. Many corner sofas are made as separate parts joined in the room, but not all, and the size of each piece matters more than the whole.

The clearest case on our site is the recliner corner sofas. Their product pages say they are delivered as one complete set of three sections, and they list each section's size. The Calder Recliner Corner Sofa (£909, made to order, 12–15 weeks), for example, lists:

Section	Size as listed (W × D × H)
Left section	125 × 96 × 100 cm
Corner wedge	148 × 98 × 100 cm
Right section	125 × 96 × 100 cm

So the longest piece to get round each turn is 148 cm, not the full length of the L. See the rest of the range under recliners.

Our corner sofa bed pages list the assembled size (many also say the corner can be built left or right handed), but not the size of each boxed piece. If your route is tight, message our team with the sofa name and your measurements before you order.

Stairs, banisters and landings

Straight stairs are usually manageable. Turns, low ceilings and small landings are where moves go wrong. A few techniques help:

• Go up on end. On a straight flight, carry a sofa or section upright, then lay it down at the top. This keeps the longest dimension along the stairs rather than across them.
• Plan the turn. At a quarter-turn landing, the piece usually has to be stood on end and pivoted. Measure the diagonal of the landing (corner to corner) as well as its width, because that is the room you have to swing in.
• Watch the headroom. A sofa tipped on end can hit a low ceiling or bulkhead. Check the clearance before you start lifting, not halfway up.
• Protect the walls and banister. Pad the sofa's corners and the newel post with blankets, and keep the packaging on until the sofa is in the room.
• Clear the way. Take down stair gates, pictures and anything on the landing floor. A few centimetres matter.
• Never force it. If a piece jams, back it out and try another angle. Forcing it damages the frame, the fabric and the walls.

Carrying a sofa upstairs is a two-person job at the very least, and the person below takes most of the weight. Wear gloves and shoes with grip, agree who calls the moves, and rest on the landing rather than pushing on when tired.

Removing doors and legs

When a gap is only just too small, a little dismantling often solves it.

Doors. Taking an internal door off its hinges gives a little more clear width, because the door no longer sits in the opening. Unscrew the hinges from the frame while someone supports the door, and keep the screws together. Removing the door stop, the thin strip the door closes against, can add a little more.

Legs. Legs add height, and they snag on door frames as a sofa is turned. On many sofas the legs screw off, which makes the piece lower and easier to angle. Check the product page or ask us before you try, and never lever off a leg that doesn't unscrew.

Anything structural is a job for a professional. Removing banister spindles, a handrail or a window frame can damage your home. If the only way in involves that, it's usually a sign to choose a smaller sofa.

When a sofa bed is the better choice

Narrow stairs often lead to rooms where space is tight anyway: a loft conversion, a box room, a spare room that doubles as an office. A large corner sofa may be the wrong shape there even if you could get it up.

A compact corner sofa bed solves two problems at once: it is smaller to carry up, and it turns the room into a guest room when you need one. Two to compare:

• The Linden Bay Corner Sofa Bed With Storage M99 is listed at 213 × 132 cm (£779, shown as in stock). Its page shows card, Klarna, Clearpay (subject to eligibility) and pay on delivery.
• The Goldcrest Mini Corner Sofa Bed with Storage M04 is listed at 235 × 150 × 91 cm (£699, delivery in 2–5 weeks), with a storage compartment under the seat.

Both have a pull-out sleeping area for two adults, according to their product pages. For more ideas, see our guides to small corner sofa beds with storage and choosing a sofa bed for a guest room.

Leave it to the delivery team

You don't have to do the carrying yourself. Our delivery page says every order is delivered by our own two-person teams, and you choose between two free options at checkout:

• Delivery to your door: "Dropped at your front door, you unpack and set up."
• Delivery + assembly in the room you choose: "We carry it in, build it in the room of your choice and take the packaging away — assembly is free."

If the sofa is going upstairs, the second option is usually the sensible one. Delivery is free to most of mainland UK. The delivery page lists a floor charge for upper floors without a lift: £49 per order for the 1st to 4th floor, or £199 for the 5th to 12th floor (free on the ground floor or any floor with a lift; above the 12th floor with no lift, contact us first). Some postcode areas carry a £149 surcharge per order, and we don't deliver to Northern Ireland, the Scottish islands, Caithness and the far north of Scotland (KW postcodes), the Isle of Wight, the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands or the Isles of Scilly. Check the delivery details on the product page for your postcode.

Send us your door, stair and landing measurements before you order, with photos of any tight turns, and clear the route on the day. Our guide to sofa delivery and assembly covers the rest.

FAQs

How do you get a sofa up narrow stairs?

Measure the stairs, headroom and landing, then compare them with the sofa's depth and height. Carry it on end up a straight flight, pivot it upright at turns, and take off legs that unscrew and doors that are in the way. If it won't go without force, stop.

What if my sofa won't fit through the door?

Take the door off its hinges, remove the door stop and any legs that unscrew, and try it at an angle. If it still won't go, choose a sofa that comes in sections or a more compact model. Measuring before you order avoids the problem.

Do corner sofas come apart?

Many corner sofas are built from separate parts, but it varies by model. Our recliner corner sofa pages say they arrive as three sections and list each size. For our corner sofa beds, message us with the model and your measurements.

Will the delivery team carry the sofa upstairs?

With free delivery and assembly in the room you choose, our two-person team carries the sofa in, builds it in that room and takes the packaging away. Upper floors without a lift carry a charge of £49 or £199 per order, as listed on our delivery page.

Is a sofa bed easier to get upstairs than a corner sofa?

Usually, because it is smaller overall. A compact corner sofa bed, such as the Linden Bay at 213 × 132 cm, suits loft and spare rooms reached by narrow stairs.

---

Worried about your stairs? Message our team with the sofa you like and your door, stair and landing measurements, or email support@sofgo.co.uk, and we'll help you check the route before you order. You can also browse all corner sofa beds with storage.

Alex at SOFGO